Improved apparatus for distilling petroleum



l 2 Shets-Sheet L PRE-NTISS & ROBERTSON Apparatus for DistillingPetroleum.

Ptnted June 27.", 1865.

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PRENHSS e ROBERTSON. 2 Sheets Sheet 2' Apparatus for DistillingPetroleum.

Patented Junel 27,1865. I

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ze Leim' '.faagklb f 'A UNITED STATES VPATENT OFFICE.

. DELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING PETROLEUM.

Spcciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. 48,435, dated June 27,1865.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that \ve,'ELIJAH FREEMANPREN'rIss and ROBERT ADAM ROBERTSON, both of the city of Philadelphia,State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Apparatus for Distilling Bock-0ils and other Hydrocarbons; and we doherebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionot' the construction and operation of the same, reference being had tothe annexed drawings, forming a part hereof.

The improvements hereinq'iescribed relate tothe condensers, which form apart of the apparatus for which Letters Patent of the United States weregranted to us on the 8th day of March, 1864.

In the drawings, which are on a scale of oneeighth (5) of an inch to aninch in the working lnachine, Figure I is a vertical section of `animproved column through the line E F in Fig. 4. Fig. 2 is a similarsection of the same on the line C D, Fig. 4.Y Fig.3 is aplan of the topot' the column. Fig. 4is a horizontal section of the column on the lineA B in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a plan of the bottom of the column. Figs. 6 and7 are front views of two columns or condensers, showing the pipes whichconnect the top chamber of the condenser with the waterleg, and showingalso the pipes which connect one condenser with the other. Fig. 8 is alongitudinal vertical section on the line X Y of Fig. 4.

The advantages of our improvements consist, first, in doing away withdanger of damage to the condenser from the expansion and lcontractionthereof; second, in giving a freer boiling-space above the surface ofthe oil in the condenser; third, in making the auxiliary head (socalledin the specification of our said Letters Patent, and numbered in thedrawings attached thereto V) a part of the column, thus dispensing withconnecting-pipes, (marked iu the drawings last referred to W W,) andthus lessening the surface liable to cause condensation, and making atthe same time the condenser more compact; fourth, the improvedcondensers being square instead of round, the inlet and outlet pipes areon the saine line, and the condensers can be more conveniently ranged ona straight line; fifth, feeding thecondenserswithcrude oil in such amanner that the oil is distributed equally over all of the tubes; sixth,getting a much enlarged airchamher and a greatly-increased surface forsteam-heating by a better disposition of the vapor-pipes withoutincreasing the size of the columns. l y

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our improvements, wewill proceed to describe them in detail.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in all of the drawings.

Gr G G2 G3, Fig. 2, is the shell of the condenser, which we prefer tomake of cast-iron,

twenty inches square in the horizontal section and about eight feethigh. The condenser consists, iirst, of a cast-iron base inclosing achamber, H, which is divided by partitions into three compartments, l (23) 4, asshown in Fig. 5, which partitions are planed true and flush withthe anges by which the base4 is united to the body ot the column;second, of the body I ot' the column; third, ofthe head K. Y

rIhe bodyIof the column contains the vaportubes a, which may be ofwrought.-iron, copper, or any other metal, each of one inch diametcr.The tubes in eachA row are bent, as shown in Fig. 8, the ends of thetubes form- A4ing four clusters, which we mark 1 2 3 4in Fig. 4. Eachtube-in the innermost row of cluster No. I is carried up perpendicularlyto a height of, say, four feet six inches, or thedesired height, bentover and brought down, so

as to form the innermost row of cluster No.2.

The tubes in the row next the said innermost row pass as last mentioned,are carried up so as to overarch the innermost row, preserving the samespace between the pipes at the bend of the pipes that is left betweenthem,l where they are perpendicular and brought down, so as to form therow next to the innermost row of cluster No. 2, and so on with each ofthe other three rows, as shown in Fig. 8. There is the same arrangementof tubes forming clusters 3 and 4.

In Fig. 2, b is the improved steam pipe, which is colored blue.

cis the improved air-pipe, colored red. It

can be.V seen ou comparison of the annexed drawings with the drawingsattached to our -umn or chamber for separating any oil that yvaporswhich collect in the head K down to oil that collects on the floorof chamber Kdown from the different compartments of thechamabove-mentioned Letters Patent that the improved steam-pipe has amuch greater surface and the improved air-pipe a much larger area thanthe pipes for similar purposes described in the specifications of oursaid Letters Patent.

b is the steam-supply pipe.

b is the exit-steam pipe, which conveys the Waste steam from thesteam-pipe b to the cham.- ber or underneath chamber El in the base ofthe condenser.

b" is the pipe for the. exit of the steam from said chamber.

C is the pipe to which the thermostat is attached. y

L, Figs. l and 2, is the trough or slotted pipe through-Which the crudeoil is admitted into the condenser, the oil overiiowing from both sidesof the trough and being thus equally distributed over all thev pipes.

\ L', Figs. 1, 6, and 7, is the pipe for conveying the oil from onecolumn to the next column.

K, Figs. l, 2, and 8, is the head of the colmay be carried up from spacel through the tube (l, which tube has an umbrella-like cover, e, forforcing the oil down toward the door of the chamber K. Two pipes,ff',one of Which is shown in Fig. 1, and the position ot' both ,of which isshown in Fig. 3, are for carrying the the chamber H of the base andmixing there With the current of vapors passing along from the still.

M, Figs. l and 6, is the pipe for carrying the to the supply-trough L byan inverted Siphon, and this siphon is connected with the Waterleg asshown in Fig. 6 and as is described in the specification of ourabove-mentioned Letters Patent.

N, Fig. 5, is the pipe for the admission of the vapor into the base ofthe column, either from the still or from another column.

N', Fig. 5, is the pipe for the exit of the va pors from the column.

O O O", Figs. 1,- 2, and 5, are pipes leading ber H in the base of thecolumn and conducting the oil to the Worm or Worms, as described in thespecifications of our above-mentioned Letters Patent. The shell of thecolumn-is cast with the diaphragm, which separates the head from thebody of the column, and with anges at top and bottom, the flanges beingfaced or planed true, so as to receive on top a pla-te or cover facedall around to the Vbreadth of the.r flanges, and so as to receive on thebottom another faced plate, in which the ends of the vapor-pipes arefastened, the base of the column being also provided `with flanges, bymeans o f which the base and body of the column are bolted together, asshown in Figs. l and 2.

Having now fully described our improvement and how We believe the samemay be best carried into practical effect, We wish it to be understoodthat We do not confine ourselves to the precise details, relativeproportions, the materials, forms, and dimensions hereinbeforcdescribed, as it will be readily seen that the same may be considerablyvaried Without departing from the principle ofourinvention; buty What weclaim, and desire to secure by Let` ters Patent, is-

l. The employment ofthe bent vapor, steam, and air-pi pes a, l), and c,arranged, constructed, and operating substantially as shown anddescribed.

l 2. Constructing the column so as to have a space, I, unobstructed withpipes for the free boiling ot' the oil, substantially as shown anddescribed.

3. Constructing the column so that the head K shall form a partthereof', the same being arranged, constructed, and operating in themanner and for the purpose substantially as shown and described.

4.. The slotted pipe or trough L, in combination with the column,whereby the cooler oil is fed in and distributed equally over the pipesarranged and constructed substantially as shown and described. v

ELIJAH FREEMAN PRENTISS.

ROBERT ADAM ROBERTSON,-

Witnesscs: I v

JOHN LATHROP,

J. E..SHAW.

